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Hatsubai « Bright and powerful single »
Published on 04/05/11 at 10:33The EMG S is very similar to being a single coil sized version of the EMG 81. This is the original ceramic magnet version of the pickup, and it’s an active pickup which means it runs off of a power source – in this case, it’s a 9V battery.
The EMG S is a pickup that’s getting a bit dated today, but it is still a decent pickup. It’s housed in an epoxy housing that allows the strings to always be under the magnets and never fade out like some of the regular single coils do when bending. The biggest benefit is that it can be run without a buffer during long cable runs thanks to the built in active preamp. This also helps keep it very quiet and avoid RF interference, especially during live situations.
I said that this pickup is similar to the EMG 81, but that doesn’t mean they’re exactly the same. It’s got that bright grind going on like the EMG S, and it’s a fairly hot pickup thanks to the preamp, but it still has that single coil tone going on. The treble is fairly strong, the midrange is decent and the bass seems to be even to maybe pushed back a little bit. I find this works best in the bridge of a strat. In the neck, it goes too piercing for me, but some people really like that bright, clean quality for soloing.
If you’re looking for a single coil sized EMG, this is a pretty good candidate. It can be a bit “linear” sounding and somewhat compressed at times, but it still delivers some good tones, especially in the bridge and especially for heavy metal. If you find it to be too bright, get the SA which has the Alnico magnet inside of it. It’s a good bit fatter and more even sounding.
The EMG S is a pickup that’s getting a bit dated today, but it is still a decent pickup. It’s housed in an epoxy housing that allows the strings to always be under the magnets and never fade out like some of the regular single coils do when bending. The biggest benefit is that it can be run without a buffer during long cable runs thanks to the built in active preamp. This also helps keep it very quiet and avoid RF interference, especially during live situations.
I said that this pickup is similar to the EMG 81, but that doesn’t mean they’re exactly the same. It’s got that bright grind going on like the EMG S, and it’s a fairly hot pickup thanks to the preamp, but it still has that single coil tone going on. The treble is fairly strong, the midrange is decent and the bass seems to be even to maybe pushed back a little bit. I find this works best in the bridge of a strat. In the neck, it goes too piercing for me, but some people really like that bright, clean quality for soloing.
If you’re looking for a single coil sized EMG, this is a pretty good candidate. It can be a bit “linear” sounding and somewhat compressed at times, but it still delivers some good tones, especially in the bridge and especially for heavy metal. If you find it to be too bright, get the SA which has the Alnico magnet inside of it. It’s a good bit fatter and more even sounding.